India’s GSLV MkIII rocket is an upgraded version of the country’s GSLV rocket. The new version stands 141 feet tall (43 meters) and weighs 705 tons (640 metric tons) at launch liftoff. While it is slightly shorter than its predecessor — the 160-foot (49 m) GSLV Mark II — the new version is 200 tons heavier and can deliver satellites weighing up to 8,818 lbs. (4,000 kilograms) to a geostationary transfer orbit. That’s nearly double the lift capacity of its predecessor.

According to India Today, the GSLV MkIII is a heavy-lift rocket that weighs as much as 200 elephants, or five Boeing jumbo jets. It is powered by a liquid-fueled core stage, two strap-on solid rocket motors and a liquid-fueled upper stage.

“This was the first orbital mission of GSLV MkIII which was mainly intended to evaluate the vehicle performance including that of its fully indigenous cryogenic upper stage during the flight,” ISRO officials said in a statement.

India’s GSAT-19 communications satellite seen during flight preparations ahead of its launch on the first GSLV Mark III rocket.

Credit: ISRO

Monday’s GSLV MkIII launch isn’t the only big first for India’s space program this year. In February, ISRO launched a smaller Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle packed with 104 satellites, setting a new record for the most satellites launched on a single rocket.